Kerry Criticizes Bush on Diplomacy

BETH FOUHY

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, March 12, 2003

Associated Press Writer

Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry called Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein "a legitimate threat to the stability of this nation" and said he did not regret his vote in the Senate authorizing use of military force in Iraq.

But he also denounced the Bush administration's handling of foreign policy regarding the Iraq crisis. "I regret that the United States has had some of the weakest diplomacy the we have ever seen," he said.

The Massachusetts senator spoke Thursday to a packed audience at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, on the eve of the state Democratic Party convention in Sacramento. He and five other candidates for the party's presidential nomination will address convention delegates this weekend.

The candidates will make their pitches to 1,800 party activists a year before the California primary. "And regardless of the timing, an awful lot of the people who influence the process are going to be in that room," said Michael Feldman, a Democratic consultant who was a political adviser to Al Gore. "And that's not to be ignored, or ignored at their peril."

With almost a year to go before the presidential nominating contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and elsewhere, Kerry has emerged as a front-runner in the Democratic field. But with military action in Iraq looming, he has been negotiating a delicate balance between reaffirming his support of military engagement with Iraq while not alienating the anti-war activists who form a large part of the Democratic base.

Responding to questions from the audience following his speech, Kerry called the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction the world's most pressing challenge. But he also pledged to rebuild relations with countries like France, Germany and Russia, which have opposed U.S. policy on Iraq. He won applause when he called for American foreign policy to be "active, engaged, sensible, thoughtful and humble."

In his speech, Kerry criticized the Bush administration's 2001 tax cut as "a raw deal" for California and other states, which now must raise taxes to make up the financial shortfall. And he called on the federal government to shoulder more of the burden for homeland security costs, which he said are weighing heavily on state budgets.

California backed Democrats in the 2000 election even as much of the rest of the nation went Republican. It has more electoral votes _ 55 _ and donates more money to candidates for federal office than any other state.

It is also home to two Democratic fund-raising centers, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. A fund-raiser for Kerry in San Francisco Thursday night was expected to raise up to $700,000, according to campaign communications director Chris Lehane.